This blog is an ongoing record of traveling world with bamboo bike and starting / growing up social enterprise,"Bamboo Samurai". Bamboo Samurai will make bamboo bike and attractive bamboo products by using only Japanese bamboo. I will contribute to develop craftsmanship, coexist with bamboo forests in Japan and to build ecological world all over the world. I am loving Nature, biking, and bamboo. Please keep supporting Bamboo Samurai! Bamboo Samurai Founder,Takashi

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December 3, 2010

Today was one of the toughest day in this trip for us. Heavy rain, strong wind, wet and so chilly, continuous up-down hills, some big hills, but at the last time of the day, the happiest time welcomed us. The biking experiences which I got in this trip supported both pedals of bamboo bike2 and my legs. We pedaled while feeling supports form everyone whom I met in this trip..thank you so much. Well, I write today's dairy divided into 3 parts, morning, afternoon, and night.

1.Morning, "Wet Rat"
I woke up 3:30a.m. prepared for journey, I love to act early morning. Max also woke up early, prepared for his study of medical, he was a medical student. We talked about bike and life each other, after that he cooked special oatmeal for me, oatmeal with peanuts butter! it was creamy, very nice, and interesting. I said bye-bye to Max, thank you so much, Max, Joanna.
When we started biking around 8:00a.m. it already rained and strong wind blew. I gazed into the sky, sky was covered with thick and dark clouds. The rain was getting heavier and heavier gradually, wind blew still strong. When we passed Lutherville and Loch Raven Resevoir MD, the road was filled with rain, some of rain near shoulder was streaming like small creek. We saw the rain was falling horizontal. "Wet Rat" ... sometimes I murmured so, ...sometimes I imagined a guy standing under the "Rashomon", a famous Japanese novel, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, ...sometimes I recited one of the part of poem "It rains in my heart" by Paul Verlaine

"It rains in my heart
as on town and on mart,
pours down longings that start
to reign in my heart!"

...and sometimes wiped rain by gloves. ...while raining in the rain, while wet... I ate fewer energy bar with wet. I saw beautiful Resevoir in the rain, white smoke occurred on the face of the resevoir here and there. My breath was also white. Car passed by me slowly whose drivers had surprised look. In the heavy rain... though I also love fishing, in such heavy rain, it will be difficult to catch any fish. My imagination continued...also rain continued. The rain were getting heavier and heavier.

2.Afternoon, "Cooled off frog"
Passing Sweet Air, the town, the rain was getting lighter and changed into shower. And arrived at Jarrettsville, rain stopped, I dropped by 7elaven, and drank coffee and ate chilly corn dog and pizza to warm body. I felt chilly. I talked to the owner of 7eleven, he got interested in bamboo bike and he asked me the differences between 7eleven United States and 7eleven Japan. I answered, " almost same, but free topping service of 7eleven United States was very unique." He nodded and a little smiled. We passed Pykesville, Whiteford and entered Pennsylvania for the first time.
"How about Pennsylvania riding?" I expected and pedaled. ...continuous large rolling hills, many many... My mentality came depleted gradually.. I was feeling my body cooled off.. sometimes I changed the place to grip... Around York Furnace, we faced a few big hills..short but curvy and steep, like route 56 on the Appalachians. Very tired, and I tried to remain calm...I could stay calm. New Bridgeville,Wrightsville...passed the Susquehanna River... I was such like a cooled off frog which was late to hibernation.

3. Night, "Spring came for Heterothermy"

Suddenly I received call, that call was from kind gentleman, Marvin, great cyclist. I was hosted by him. After waiting for him for 30minutes in hamburger shop, we met. He picked up us and took us to his home at Clay. I felt much of happiness. In his car I felt warm, maybe both of my body and heart. Thank you so much, Marvin.
We ate dinner at Mt.Joy. of course I enjoyed. I ate Oyster pie. Great. When we passed Manheim, we saw many lights which formed Christmas tree, it was beautiful. I think Christmas decorations in United States is great, beautiful. Arriving at Marvin's home, I took warm shower and enjoyed talking about bike touring to Marvin. Around 10:00p.m. I felt sleepy,,,maybe so tired. lying on the bed, I rethought about journey of today...I thought that there were many things today.. rain, wind, chilly, hills, and precious meeting, and now.. I felt relief and happy. The bed was very soft. Thank you so much, Marvin. Tired..Good sleep. Takashi 2010/12/1@Clay

..so sorry for my typographical errors and wrong dates and such on the previous posts..

you were so very close to my family where i was visiting. we nearly had the opportunity to meet again had i not left back for Paducah on 11/29 :) when you were in Manheim PA you were only 30 miles from where I was visiting family near Harrisburg PA. As a child I grew up on the Susquehanna River in PA. BY CAR from Paducah KY to Harrisburg PA it is 806 miles and 11 hours. Of course it takes quite a bit longer by BAMBOO BICYCLE. LOL . Take care on the 'home stretch' of your trip!